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Glory · Our Hope
The Bible never promises that a specific animal is raised or restored in heaven, and it is honest about that silence. What it does say is clear: God made the animals and called them good, He cares for them and keeps covenant with them, the animal world shares in the groaning of a fallen creation and will be set free with it, and the healed new creation ends the violence of the animal kingdom, so that every creature can praise God together.
https://glorystudy.com/questions/what-does-the-bible-say-about-animals-and-heaven · Scripture quoted from the World English Bible
Genesis 1:20-31
As you read: God creates the living creatures, blesses them, and declares everything He made 'very good.'
20God said, “Let the waters abound with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of sky.”
21God created the large sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind. God saw that it was good.
22God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
23There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
24God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures after their kind, livestock, creeping things, and animals of the earth after their kind”; and it was so.
25God made the animals of the earth after their kind, and the livestock after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind. God saw that it was good.
26God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them.
28God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
29God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree, which bears fruit yielding seed. It will be your food.
30To every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food;” and it was so.
31God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
Genesis 9:8-17
As you read: God's promise after the flood is made not only with Noah but with the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth.
8God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,
9“As for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you,
10and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ship, even every animal of the earth.
11I will establish my covenant with you: All flesh will not be cut off any more by the waters of the flood, neither will there ever again be a flood to destroy the earth.”
12God said, “This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be a sign of a covenant between me and the earth.
14When I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud,
15and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16The rainbow will be in the cloud. I will look at it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
17God said to Noah, “This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
Psalms 104:24-30
As you read: God gives the animals their food, renews the face of the ground, and takes away and gives back their breath.
24Yahweh, how many are your works! In wisdom have you made them all. The earth is full of your riches.
25There is the sea, great and wide, in which are innumerable living things, both small and large animals.
26There the ships go, and leviathan, whom you formed to play there.
27These all wait for you, that you may give them their food in due season.
28You give to them; they gather. You open your hand; they are satisfied with good.
29You hide your face: they are troubled; you take away their breath: they die, and return to the dust.
30You send out your Spirit and they are created. You renew the face of the ground.
Romans 8:18-25
As you read: Paul says the creation itself was subjected to vanity and will be delivered from its bondage to decay.
18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed toward us.
19For the creation waits with eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.
20For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, in hope
21that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.
22For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now.
23Not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for adoption, the redemption of our body.
24For we were saved in hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for that which he sees?
25But if we hope for that which we don’t see, we wait for it with patience.
Isaiah 65:17-25
As you read: In God's new heavens and new earth, the wolf and the lamb feed together and nothing hurts or destroys.
17“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
18But be you glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
19I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and there shall be heard in her no more the voice of weeping and the voice of crying.
20“There shall be no more there an infant of days, nor an old man who has not filled his days; for the child shall die one hundred years old, and the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.
21They shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat their fruit.
22They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree shall be the days of my people, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
23They shall not labor in vain, nor give birth for calamity; for they are the seed of the blessed of Yahweh, and their offspring with them.
24It shall happen that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
25The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain,” says Yahweh.
Revelation 5:11-14
As you read: Every created thing in heaven and on earth and under the earth joins in blessing God and the Lamb.
11I saw, and I heard something like a voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousands of ten thousands, and thousands of thousands;
12saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who has been killed to receive the power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing!”
13I heard every created thing which is in heaven, on the earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb be the blessing, the honor, the glory, and the dominion, forever and ever! Amen!”
14The four living creatures said, “Amen!” The elders fell down and worshiped.
God called the living creatures into being out of the ground and the sea, blessed them, and when He finished, 'God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.' Animals are not an accident or an afterthought; they are God's deliberate, good creation, made before sin entered the world.
“God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures after their kind, livestock, creeping things, and animals of the earth after their kind”; and it was so.”Genesis 1:24
“God made the animals of the earth after their kind, and the livestock after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind. God saw that it was good.”Genesis 1:25
“God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.”Genesis 1:31
After the flood, God's covenant, His bound promise, was made not only with Noah but 'with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth.' Jesus says the heavenly Father feeds the birds, and the righteous are marked by respect for the life of their animal. God's care for animals runs through all of Scripture.
“and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ship, even every animal of the earth.”Genesis 9:10
“God said, “This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:”Genesis 9:12
“See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they?”Matthew 6:26
“A righteous man respects the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.”Proverbs 12:10
Paul says the creation was subjected to vanity and 'groans and travails in pain together until now,' waiting to be set free from its bondage to decay. Animals suffer in our fallen world, and they are not written out of the story of redemption; the creation itself waits for the revealing of the children of God.
“For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, in hope”Romans 8:20
“For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now.”Romans 8:22
“that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.”Romans 8:21
The prophets picture the healed creation in unmistakably animal terms: 'The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat,' and 'the wolf and the lamb shall feed together... They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain.' The violence of the animal kingdom is undone. God does not scrap His creation; He renews it, and animals are part of that renewal.
“The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat; The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together; and a little child will lead them.”Isaiah 11:6
“The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain,” says Yahweh.”Isaiah 65:25
“But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”2 Peter 3:13
“I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more.”Revelation 21:1
John heard 'every created thing which is in heaven, on the earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them' saying blessing, honor, glory, and dominion to God and to the Lamb. The psalmists call the wild animals, livestock, and creeping things to praise the Lord. The animal creation is part of the music of the new heavens and new earth.
“I heard every created thing which is in heaven, on the earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb be the blessing, the honor, the glory, and the dominion, forever and ever! Amen!””Revelation 5:13
“Praise Yahweh from the earth, you great sea creatures, and all depths!”Psalm 148:7
“wild animals and all livestock; small creatures and flying birds;”Psalm 148:10
The Bible never promises that a specific, individual animal is raised or restored in heaven. The clear promises of resurrection and eternal life belong to people made in God's image, to those who believe in Christ. This silence is not denial; it is honesty. We can trust a God who cares for animals and who heals creation, even for the part of the story He does not spell out for us.
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies. Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?””John 11:25-26
“So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown perishable; it is raised imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is also a spiritual body.”1 Corinthians 15:42-44
“and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ship, even every animal of the earth.”Genesis 9:10